APA Dictionary of Psychology

in ergonomics, a mental model of a work system that is held in common by the members of a team. Ideally, team members should have a shared mental picture of the system and its attributes, a shared knowledge of all relevant tasks, and a shared understanding of the team’s progress toward its goal. Coordination, efficiency, and accuracy will increase as team members converge on a common mental model that is accurate and complete yet flexible. Also called team mental model.